Computer memory is one of the hardware components that consume energy and generate heat. For large datacenters, energy consumption and heat are two large components to the total cost of operating a datacenter. In such datacenters, extensive cooling systems may consume over half of the cost of operating the datacenters.
Some computer systems may have the ability to operate memory components in different modes, where each mode may require a different amount of power. In such computer systems, the energy consumption of a memory component may be related to the response time, performance, or other metric of the memory device. For example, memory components operating in a high power mode may be readily available for access and therefore have very fast response times. Memory components in a reduced power mode may operate slower, or may operate by returning to a high power state to respond to an access request, which may adversely affect response time.